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| Obesity drug use rises eight-fold | Obesity drug use rises eight-fold |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| More than 1m prescriptions are made for obesity drugs a year - eight times the number dispensed seven years ago. | More than 1m prescriptions are made for obesity drugs a year - eight times the number dispensed seven years ago. |
| The majority of these were for two treatments - sibutramine and orlistat. | The majority of these were for two treatments - sibutramine and orlistat. |
| Sibutramine works by altering chemical messages to the brain which control feelings about food, while orlistat prevents some fat absorption. | Sibutramine works by altering chemical messages to the brain which control feelings about food, while orlistat prevents some fat absorption. |
| Just 127,000 obesity pills were prescribed in England in 1999, but that rose to 1.06m in 2006, according to the NHS Information Centre. | Just 127,000 obesity pills were prescribed in England in 1999, but that rose to 1.06m in 2006, according to the NHS Information Centre. |
| It comes as figures show that obesity is rising. | |
| Nearly a quarter of adults are obese - up 50% in the last 10 years, while one in six children aged two to 15 are classed as obese - up from one in 10. | |
| The increasing use of obesity drugs is partly driven by the fact that more have come on to the market - orlistat was only licensed in the UK in 1998 and sibutramine in 2001. | |
| But Dr Jim Kennedy, prescribing spokesman for the Royal College of GPs, said the condition was also now being taken more seriously. | |
| "Government, patients and doctors are all more aware of the risks and therefore more willing to discuss obesity. | |
| "This means there is more of a willingness to consider treatment options." | |
| Mr Kennedy said patients would only be prescribed obesity drugs alongside a programme to encourage a healthier lifestyle by altering diet and increasing physical activity. | |
| "Patients would have to demonstrate they are genuinely committed to losing weight and doctors would then only prescribe these drugs if there was a high risk from things such as stroke, diabetes or heart disease." | |
| He also pointed out that the 1m prescriptions a year should be seen in context as there were 13m GP consultations each week. |